The Museum of London has acquired a large-scale 360° panorama of London in 1815 by French artist Pierre Prévost. It has been acquired with the help of Art Fund, the Aldama Foundation and a group of individual donors, with additional support from Michael Spencer, the Leche Trust and other donors who wish to remain anonymous.

The work is a preparatory watercolour for a now-lost 30-metre panorama previously exhibited in Paris. The only other example of the artist’s work of a similar size and quality is a view of Constantinople, currently on display in the Louvre.

The watercolour is a fascinating and immersive insight into a pivotal time for the city of London. Painted shortly after the Battle of Waterloo, it depicts the view of the cityscape from the tower of St Margaret’s Church, featuring the former medieval Houses of Parliament building before it was burned down in 1834, as well as the unfinished Waterloo Bridge.

Stephen Deuchar, director of Art Fund, said: 'The acquisition at auction of Pierre Prévost’s precious panorama of a long-lost London is a great coup for the Museum of London. We were very pleased to make a major grant towards this, helped along on this occasion by the enthusiasm of a group of our closest supporters.'